DEFINITION
OF PRODUCE |
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·
THIS STANDARD
APPLIES TO COMMERCIAL VARIETIES OF WARE POTATO GROWN FROM SOLANUM TUBEROSUM
L., OF THE SOLANACEAE FAMILY, TO BE SUPPLIED FRESH TO THE CONSUMER, AFTER
PREPARATION AND PACKAGING. WARE POTATOES FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING AND EARLY
POTATOES1 ARE EXCLUDED. |
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·
PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY |
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· MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS o
SUBJECT TO THE
TOLERANCES ALLOWED, THE WARE POTATOES MUST BE § INTACT; § SOUND; PRODUCE AFFECTED BY ROTTING OR
DETERIORATION, WHICH MAKES IT UNFIT FOR CONSUMPTION IS EXCLUDED § FRESH IN APPEARANCE AND FIRM; § CLEAN AND PRACTICALLY FREE OF ANY VISIBLE FOREIGN
MATTER2; § PRACTICALLY FREE FROM PESTS3; § PRACTICALLY FREE FROM DAMAGE CAUSED BY PESTS; § FREE OF ABNORMAL EXTERNAL MOISTURE, EXCLUDING
CONDENSATION FOLLOWING REMOVAL FROM COLD STORAGE; § FREE OF ANY FOREIGN SMELL; § FREE OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY LOW OR HIGH TEMPERATURE; § FREE FROM SPROUTING; I.E. SPROUTS MAY NOT BE
LONGER THAN 3MM IN LENGTH § FREE OF DEFECTS AFFECTING THE APPEARANCE, KEEPING
QUALITY AND PRESENTATION IN THE PACKAGE, SUCH AS: Ø GREEN COLOURATION; PALE GREEN FLUSH EXCEEDING ONE
EIGHTH OF THE SURFACE AREA; Ø BROWN STAINS; Ø CRACKS CUTS, , BRUISES OR ROUGHNESS EXCEEDING 4 MM
IN DEPTH; Ø SERIOUS DEFORMITIES; Ø GREY, BLUE OR BLACK SUB-EPIDERMAL STAINS;
EXCEEDING 5 MM IN DEPTH; Ø HOLLOW OR BLACK HEARTS AND OTHER INTERNAL DEFECTS; Ø DEEP COMMON POTATO SCAB AND POWDERY POTATO SCAB3,
OF A DEPTH OF 2 MM OR MORE Ø SUPERFICIAL COMMON POTATO SCAB, I.E. SCAB SPOTS IN
ALL MUST NOT EXTEND OVER MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THE SURFACE OF THE TUBER. o
THE DEVELOPMENT AND
CONDITION OF THE WARE POTATOES MUST BE SUCH AS TO ENABLE THEM TO: § WITHSTAND TRANSPORTATION AND HANDLING; § ARRIVE IN SATISFACTORY CONDITION AT THE PLACE OF
DESTINATION. |
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· MINIMUM MATURITY REQUIREMENTS WARE POTATOES MUST
BE SUFFICIENTLY DEVELOPED WITH CURED SKIN, WITH ACCOUNT BEING TAKEN OF THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VARIETY AND/OR COMMERCIAL TYPE AND THE AREA IN WHICH
THEY ARE GROWN. |
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· CLASSIFICATION CLASSIFICATION OF WARE POTATOES IS
OPTIONAL. WHEN CLASSIFIED, THE CLASSIFICATION IS DONE IN ACCORDANCE WIT –
PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES, WARE POTATOES ARE CLASSIFIED INTO THE
FOLLOWING CLASSES. • o
“EXTRA” CLASS, CLASS I
AND CLASS II. |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING SIZING |
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·
WARE POTATOES MAY
BE SIZED BY DIAMETER, COUNT OR WEIGHT; OR IN ACCORDANCE WITH TRADING
PRACTICES. WHEN SIZED IN ACCORDANCE WITH TRADING PRACTICES, THE PACKAGE MUST
BE LABELLED WITH THE SIZE AND METHOD USED. |
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·
WHEN SIZE IS
DETERMINED BY THE EQUATORIAL DIAMETER (MEANS THE MAXIMUM DISTANCE TAKEN FROM
THE RIGHT ANGLE ON THE LARGEST AXIS OF THE TUBER) OF THE WARE POTATO (IN MM)
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING TABLE THAT CAN BE USED AS A GUIDE IN AN
OPTIONAL WAY: |
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SIZE CODE |
EQUATORIAL DIAMETER IN MM |
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A(LARGE) |
MORE THAN 80 |
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B(ROUND) |
35-80 |
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C(LONG) |
25-75 |
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D(SMALL) |
18-24 |
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· HOWEVER, UNIFORMITY IN SIZE IN SALES PACKAGES UP
TO 5 KG NET WEIGHT MAY BE RESTRICTED TO A MAXIMUM OF 30 MM BETWEEN THE
SMALLEST AND THE LARGEST TUBER. |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING TOLERANCES |
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·
AT ALL MARKETING
STAGES, TOLERANCES IN RESPECT OF QUALITY AND SIZE SHALL BE ALLOWED IN EACH
LOT FOR PRODUCE NOT SATISFYING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CLASS INDICATED.
PRODUCE THAT FAIL CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT, MAY BE ALLOWED TO BE RESORTED AND
BROUGHT INTO CONFORMITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS IN THE
GUIDELINES FOR FOOD IMPORT CONTROL SYSTEMS (CXG 47-2003). |
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S.NO. |
|
PERCENTAGE OF DEFECTIVE PRODUCE, BY NUMBER
OR WEIGHT |
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QUALITY TOLERANCES |
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EXTRA CLASS |
CLASS I |
CLASS II |
1 |
(I) TOTAL TOLERANCES FOR WARE POTATOES NOT SATISFYING THE MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING DEFECTS (D), OF WHICH NO MORE THAN: |
5 |
10 |
10 |
|
(A) FROZEN, DECAY, SOFT ROT AND/OR INTERNAL BREAKDOWN. |
1 |
1 |
2 |
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(C) SOIL |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
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(D) DEFECTS: |
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CUTS |
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BRUISES OR ROUGHNESS |
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GREY, BLUE OR BLACK SUB-EPIDERMAL STAINS;
> 5 MM DEEP |
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DEEP COMMON POTATO SCAB AND POWDERY POTATO
SCAB, > 2 MM DEEP. |
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SUPERFICIAL COMMON POTATO SCAB > 25% OF
SURFACE |
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SPROUTS >3MM |
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GREEN COLORATION >1/8 OF THE SURFACE
AREA OR NOT EXCEEDING 2MM IN DEPTH; |
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2 |
ADDITIONAL TOLERANCES |
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2 |
2 |
2 |
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(B) SIZE TOLERANCES-OFF SIZE FROM WHAT IS INDICATED/MARKETED |
10 |
10 |
10 |
PROVISIONS
CONCERNING PRESENTATION |
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·
UNIFORMITY THE
CONTENTS OF EACH PACKAGE (OR LOT FOR PRODUCE PRESENTED IN THE BULK TRANSPORT
VEHICLE) MUST BE UNIFORM AND CONTAIN ONLY WARE POTATOES OF THE SAME ORIGIN,
VARIETY OR COMMERCIAL TYPE, QUALITY, SIZE (IF SIZED) AND OPTIONALLY, COOKING
TYPE (IF INDICATED). THE VISIBLE PART OF THE CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE (OR LOT
FOR PRODUCE PRESENTED IN THE BULK TRANSPORT VEHICLE) MUST BE REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS. HOWEVER, A MIXTURE OF DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT WARE POTATOES
OF DIFFERENT SKIN COLOURS (EXCEPT GREEN) MAY BE PACKED TOGETHER IN A SALES
PACKAGE, PROVIDED THEY ARE UNIFORM IN QUALITY AND, FOR EACH VARIETY
CONCERNED, IN ORIGIN. |
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·
PACKAGING WARE
POTATOES MUST BE PACKED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PROTECT THE PRODUCE PROPERLY. THE
MATERIALS USED INSIDE THE PACKAGE MUST BE OF FOOD GRADE QUALITY, CLEAN AND OF
A QUALITY SUCH AS TO AVOID CAUSING ANY EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE
PRODUCE. THE USE OF MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY OF PAPER OR STAMPS BEARING TRADE
SPECIFICATIONS IS ALLOWED, PROVIDED THE PRINTING OR LABELLING HAS BEEN DONE
WITH NON-TOXIC INK OR GLUE. WARE POTATOES SHALL BE PACKED IN EACH PACKAGE IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE APPROPRIATE SECTIONS OF THE CODE OF PRACTICE FOR
PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (CXC 44-1995). |
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·
DESCRIPTION OF
CONTAINERS THE PACKAGES SHALL MEET THE QUALITY, HYGIENE, VENTILATION AND
RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTICS TO ENSURE SUITABLE HANDLING, SHIPPING AND
PRESERVING OF THE WARE POTATOES. PACKAGES MUST BE FREE OF ALL FOREIGN MATTER
AND SMELL. |
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PROVISIONS CONCERNING MARKING OR LABELLING |
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·
CONSUMER PACKAGES
IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING OF
PREPACKAGED FOODS (CXS 1-1985), THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC PROVISIONS APPLY: |
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·
NATURE OF PRODUCE
IF THE PRODUCE IS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE, EACH PACKAGE SHALL BE
LABELLED AS TO THE NAME OF THE PRODUCE “WARE POTATO” AND SHOULD BE LABELLED
AS TO NAME OF THE VARIETY AND/OR COMMERCIAL TYPE. |
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·
ORIGIN OF PRODUCE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN4 AND, OPTIONALLY, DISTRICT WHERE GROWN, OR NATIONAL,
REGIONAL OR LOCAL PLACE NAME. IN CASE OF A MIXTURE OF DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF WARE POTATOES OF DIFFERENT ORIGINS, THE INDICATION OF EACH
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN SHALL APPEAR NEXT TO THE NAME OF THE VARIETY CONCERNED. |
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·
NON-RETAIL
CONTAINERS EACH PACKAGE MUST BEAR THE FOLLOWING PARTICULARS, IN LETTERS
GROUPED ON THE SAME SIDE, LEGIBLY AND INDELIBLY MARKED, AND VISIBLE FROM THE
OUTSIDE, EITHER PRINTED ON THE PACKAGE ITSELF OR ON A LABEL SECURED TO THE
FASTENING (IF THE LABELS ARE PLACED INSIDE THE PACKAGES (STRING BAG), THIS
SHOULD BE DONE IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE INDICATIONS CONCERNING MARKING ARE
READABLE FROM THE OUTSIDE). FOR PRODUCE TRANSPORTED IN BULK THESE PARTICULARS
MUST APPEAR ON A DOCUMENT ACCOMPANYING THE GOOD, AND ATTACHED IN A VISIBLE
POSITION IN THE TRANSPORT VEHICLE, UNLESS THE DOCUMENT IS REPLACED BY AN
ELECTRONIC SOLUTION IN THAT CASE THE IDENTIFICATION SHOULD BE MACHINE
READABLE AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE. |
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·
IDENTIFICATION NAME
AND ADDRESS OF EXPORTER, PACKER AND/OR DISPATCHER. IDENTIFICATION CODE
(OPTIONAL)5. |
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·
NATURE OF PRODUCE
EACH SHALL BE LABELED AS TO THE NAME OF THE PRODUCE AND MAY BE LABELED AS TO
NAME OF THE VARIETY <AND/OR COMMERCIAL TYPE. THE SHAPE OF THE TUBER MAY BE
MARKED (OPTIONAL) ON THE LABEL SUCH AS OVAL, ROUND AND LONG. |
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·
ORIGIN OF PRODUCE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND, OPTIONALLY, DISTRICT WHERE GROWN OR NATIONAL, REGIONAL
OR LOCAL PLACE NAME. IN THE CASE OF A MIXTURE OF DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT
VARIETIES OF WARE POTATOES OF DIFFERENT ORIGINS, THE INDICATION OF EACH
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN SHALL APPEAR NEXT TO THE NAME OF THE VARIETY CONCERNED. |
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· COMMERCIAL IDENTIFICATION o
CLASS (IF CLASSIFIED) o
SIZE (IF SIZED) o
COOKING TYPE, FLESH
COLOUR, SHAPE OF TUBER (OPTIONAL) |
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CONTAMINANTS |
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·
THE PRODUCE COVERED
BY THIS STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LIMITS FOR PESTICIDES
ESTABLISHED BY THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION. THE PRODUCE COVERED BY THIS
STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM LEVELS OF THE CONTAMINANTS AND TOXINS
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR CONTAMINANTS AND TOXINS IN FOOD
AND FEED (CXS 193-1995). |
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HYGIENE |
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·
IT IS RECOMMENDED
THAT THE PRODUCE COVERED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS STANDARD BE PREPARED AND
HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPROPRIATE SECTIONS OF THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES
OF FOOD HYGIENE(CXC 1-1969), CODE OF HYGIENIC PRACTICE FOR FRESH FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES (CXC 53-2003), AND OTHER RELEVANT CODEX TEXTS SUCH AS CODES OF
HYGIENIC PRACTICE AND CODES OF PRACTICE. THE PRODUCE SHOULD COMPLY WITH ANY
MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA ESTABLISHED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES AND
GUIDELINES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND APPLICATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL CRITERIA
RELATED TO FOODS (CXG 21-1997). |